Los Angeles Lakers: How Lonzo Ball navigated screens as the ball-handler

Picked up dribble/ caught in the air

Lastly, the final trend as the primary ball handler on screens was Ball’s habit of picking up his dribble too early, or getting caught in the air while making a pass, which he did quite often in Summer League.

Although not the only reason, his tendency to leave his feet or pick up his dribble played a part in Lonzo turning the ball over an averaged of 3.8 times per game in Summer League.

This issue is most likely attributable to the fact that Ball often decides that he is going to pass to a teammate before fully surveying the defense to determine whether or not he may be able to create a shot on his own.

A prime example of this was at the tail end of the second quarter of Game 2 versus the Celtics, when Ball drove into the lane off a quick screen by Kuzma and passed up a relatively open lay-up to pass over to Vander Blue in the right corner.

Additionally, an example of Ball leaving his feet too early is clearly illustrated after the four-minute mark of the third quarter of Game 1 versus the Clippers, as he jumps in the air prematurely after using a Bryant screen which almost resulted in a turnover as he passed the ball into the defender’s foot before Ingram scooped it up.

This can become a problem, because Lonzo picking up his dribble too quickly or leaving his feet while looking for a pass impedes his ability to drive to the rim or survey the floor to make a safer pass with less risk of turning the ball over.